Albert Coates

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Composer conductor Albert Coates was born in St. Petersburg in 1882 into a family of English merchants. He attended primary school in London and high school and university in Liverpool, where he studied sciences. He enrolled at the Leipzig Conservatory in 1902 where he studied conducting with Nikisch. He was a répétiteur for Nikisch and an assistant to Ernst von Schuch in Dresden. From 1910 to 1917 he conducted at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. He left Russia in 1919, after which he regularly worked with the London Symphony Orchestra. In 1920, Coates made his debut with the New York Symphony Orchestra. From 1923 to 1925 he was Music Director of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1926 he also conducted for the Philharmonic and Symphonic Societies in New York. Occasionally he returned to conduct in Europe, where he worked for a season at the Berlin State Opera (1931), gave concerts with the Vienna Philharmonic (1935), and was engaged as a guest at Covent Garden (1938).
Coates married South African singer Vera de Villiers in 1945. They emigrated to South Africa the following year. Initially he worked with the Johannesburg Municipal Orchestra, followed by various opera and orchestral engagements in Cape Town. His last opera, Van Hunks & the Devil, based on a South African topic, was performed for the Van Riebeeck Festival in 1952. Coates died in Cape Town on 11 December 1953.
The complete Coates collection consists of address books, artefacts, articles, autograph books, brochures, certificates, correspondence, furniture, libretti, monographs, music manuscripts, newspaper cuttings, notes, objets d’art (busts, paintings), periodicals, photographic negatives, photographs, posters, printed music, programmes and sound recordings (gramophone records).

1. These items have been supplied by the composer and have been digitised with permission from the composer.
2. These items may only be used for research/academic purposes and not for commercial purposes.
3. These items may not be copied, disseminated, published, exhibited, reproduced or broadcast in any manner or form without the written permission of one of the following parties: The Documentation Centre for Music (DOMUS), Stellenbosch University, the Composer's representative or SAMRO (Southern African Music Rights Organisation) or an affiliated performing rights society.
4. The Documentation Centre for Music (DOMUS), Stellenbosch University, as custodian of these collections, should be notified when permission for copying, dissemination, publishing, exhibiting, reproduction or broadcasting is obtained from the Composer's representative or SAMRO (Southern African Music Rights Organisation) or an affiliated performing rights society.
5. Citation: State that the original documents are in the possession of the Documentation Centre for Music (DOMUS), Stellenbosch University and provide the link to the item.

Notes. Work lists and performances conducted by Albert Coates. List of works by various composers. Duration of works indicated. Contains Ms sketches in pencil, with: "Saul"; page numbered 154. Calculations in pencil.